Midfielder Do Duy Manh expressed his confidence when striker Cong Phuong joined the Vietnam team preparing for two matches against Indonesia in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
Striker Cong Phuong played for Vietnam in June 2023. Photo: Minh Dan
Today (March 11), coach Philippe Troussier announced the list of 33 players of the Vietnamese team to prepare for two matches against Indonesia in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers – Asia region.
Among these, midfielder Do Duy Manh is the face called back. In matches 1 and 2, the Hanoi FC player could not join the squad because he had a traffic collision, leading to an injury close to the day of his recruitment.
Duy Manh shared: “I’m very happy to be on the list this time. Joining the Vietnamese team always brings me personal honor. Not just me, but any player. share the same excitement.
In the immediate future, the Vietnamese team will face difficult challenges in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. I will have to make a lot of effort to maintain my form and physical condition to show my full potential.”
In the newly announced list, there are many unfortunate absences of pillars such as Doan Van Hau, Van Lam, Ngoc Hai, and Tuan Anh due to injuries. Meanwhile, striker Nguyen Cong Phuong – who has not had many opportunities to play at Yokohama FC (Japan) – has been called up.
“I regret some cases of not being able to join the Vietnam national team due to injury. As for Cong Phuong, we also see his expertise. Cong Phuong is qualified and adapts quickly. I believe in training. Trung will soon join the Vietnamese team, Phuong will soon integrate with good physical condition.
Therefore, the team also has more personnel for the coaching staff to evaluate before heading to the matches this March,” Duy Manh said.
Duy Manh is getting ready for the upcoming gathering of the Vietnam team. Photo: Hanoi FC
The midfielder, born in 1996, affirmed that as a professional player, the entire team must have the best preparation. This player also hopes that he and his teammates will play well against Indonesia.
“Even though the team will have difficulty against Indonesia in the next two matches, especially when having to march to Bung Karno Stadium, I believe that if there is good preparation, high performance, and good physical condition, the team will Vietnam will play well in the next 2 matches.
Through information in the press, I know that Indonesia has naturalized up to 11 players. They currently own many players playing abroad with good expertise. Even before that, the Indonesian team was still not an easy team to play against. They possess a fierce and aggressive way of fighting.
Now that our opponents have become naturalized in such large numbers, we sometimes tease each other, saying we don’t know if we will play against the Dutch or Indonesian team,” Duy Manh said frankly.
However, the midfielder of the Vietnamese team affirmed that the team also has quality players. Duy Manh and his teammates are not afraid of playing because the Indonesian team has many naturalized players because worry is not on any player’s mind.
According to the plan, the Vietnamese team will gather from March 13, while the players competing in the National Cup will gather later on March 15.